Food Plots Army Worms

[megalomaniac]

You arent completely in the clear until 1st frost

 

[BSK]

When is it safe to say they are gone for good?

After first freeze.

 

[BSK]

Army works got 3 of my 4 rye plots. Didn't eat the clover, just the rye. Why/how they missed the one plot I don't know. They didn't touch my wheat/clover plots.

 

[JhnDeereMan]

I bet those were your best and most lush plots. My understanding is that when the moth is flying over it can't see very well and the brightest most lush grass is where the eggs get laid. Hence is why a fresh growing food plot or Bermuda grass gets hit first.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I bet those were your best and most lush plots. My understanding is that when the moth is flying over it can't see very well and the brightest most lush grass is where the eggs get laid. Hence is why a fresh growing food plot or Bermuda grass gets hit first.

I'd believe that. I would definitely like to see some data on that - a tilled plot with a lot of green coming up versus a plot that's drilled into thatch. Ours look like a bunch of brown dead grass, but the green stuff is coming up good underneath and poking through it. Thus far, no indication of army worms, fortunately.

 

[BSK]

I bet those were your best and most lush plots. My understanding is that when the moth is flying over it can't see very well and the brightest most lush grass is where the eggs get laid. Hence is why a fresh growing food plot or Bermuda grass gets hit first.

Freshly germinated, so yes, lushest plots.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Army works got 3 of my 4 rye plots. Didn't eat the clover, just the rye. Why/how they missed the one plot I don't know. They didn't touch my wheat/clover plots.

I'm now happy. I was kicking myself in the butt for not planting 10 acres of our newly created plots in cereal rye and crimson right before this rain. Just got confirmation that the ONE plot I did plant in that is now down to the dirt.

Anyone know why it's cereal rye/rye grass/Bermuda they target? I have one plot that was half drilled in wheat/rape into thatch and half cereal rye/crimson in new dirt….the wheat/rape is booming, and the rye/crimson is just dirt.

BSK, I think you mentioned replanting in wheat in October. I'm thinking about storing my cereal rye for next year and buying/planting wheat instead. Is that what y'all would do?

Is it the species of the plant the worms are targeting?…..or is it the newly-tilled ground with fresh green growth versus drilled plants into thatch?

 

[BSK]

All of my plots were tilled, broadcast, and chain-harrowed. I even have sections of wheat/crimson touching sections of rye/crimson, and the army worms didn't touch the wheat/crimson but ate all of the rye out of the rye/crimson.

I'm going to plant wheat simply because I have more confidence in it this year.

 

[megalomaniac]

JC, if you are sitting on seed, plant it before the next rain. Unless you have a freezer to store it in, you are going to have to seed at twice the rate next year for the same germination rates. Buy fresh seed next year!

(Been there, done that... and even had a family of mice help themselves to the seed I was saving for the following year!)

 

[JCDEERMAN]

All of my plots were tilled, broadcast, and chain-harrowed. I even have sections of wheat/crimson touching sections of rye/crimson, and the army worms didn't touch the wheat/crimson but ate all of the rye out of the rye/crimson.

I'm going to plant wheat simply because I have more confidence in it this year.

Good info. Never heard of army worms until this year. May explain some years in the past where plots have failed for unknown reasons.

If this is the census, I will gladly store the purchased cereal rye and buy winter wheat instead. I was wanting to create a lot of biomass for the soil, as we are doubling our food plot acreage (9 acres to 20 acres of food plots). As they say, it's a process. Looks like we are going to have predominantly wheat and crimson clover plots this year

 

[JCDEERMAN]

JC, if you are sitting on seed, plant it before the next rain. Unless you have a freezer to store it in, you are going to have to seed at twice the rate next year for the same germination rates. Buy fresh seed next year!

(Been there, done that... and even had a family of mice help themselves to the seed I was saving for the following year!)

I have a lot of rubber made-tubs I thought about putting those bags in the basement in the tubs (stays about 65 degrees year round).

I also thought about buying wheat and doing 50/50 wheat and rye and just planting hoping it comes up well. Maybe they will be 50% successful?

 

[BSK]

I was wanting to create a lot of biomass for the soil, as we are doubling our food plot acreage (9 acres to 20 acres of food plots). As they say, it's a process. Looks like we are going to have predominantly wheat and crimson clover plots this year

And that is why I planted rye. Trying to maximize biomass in newly bulldozed plots compared to my old plots which grow wheat exceptionally well, and have no problems with biomass considering the number of years they were spray/mow planted.

 

[BSK]

One of my plots is coming back after the army worm infestation. It is about half back. I'm still going to top seed it with wheat and probably crimson clover, but there is hope for the original rye.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

One of my plots is coming back after the army worm infestation. It is about half back. I'm still going to top seed it with wheat and probably crimson clover, but there is hope for the original rye.

That's good to hear! I have 11 "new" acres to plant (new plots that were timber). The 1.5 acres that was planted in rye and clover was demolished by the hell worms. I'll give it a few weeks to see how it responds. Next weekend, I plan on drilling the last 5 acres of our existing fields in wheat and crimson. For the new plots (11 acres), I'll mix the wheat, crimson and the rye…..and hope for the best

 

[BigAl]

One of my plots is coming back after the army worm infestation. It is about half back. I'm still going to top seed it with wheat and probably crimson clover, but there is hope for the original rye.

Mine has recovered only about 10 percent. I tilled half of it and replanted it. Will see how that goes.